


My Superheroes Academia

by Berries20



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Batman - Freeform, Boku no Hero Academia X DC crossover, Gen, will add characters and relationships in the tags as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24103501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berries20/pseuds/Berries20
Summary: Only a few weeks after meeting his favourite hero All Might and inheriting his Quirk, Izuku Midoriya is hurriedly sent off to America to protect him and his quirk from All Might's old enemies. There, Izuku meets a dark yet incredible hero who is part of the country's most powerful group of heroes, despite the man being completely quirkless. Izuku wants nothing more than to learn from this mysterious Dark Knight and begins to find out that having a Superpower isn't the most important part of what makes a great Hero.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, eventual - Relationship
Comments: 17
Kudos: 43





	1. Begginings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! I finally started the superhero crossover I've been wanting to write since forever! As they say, if something you want doesn't exist, make it exist yourself! I really hope I can do this justice, I've been a fan of DC comics since childhood, and I'm so obsessed with My Hero Academia right now. I don't think any backstory about DC comics is needed to understand anything that'll be going on, so anyone unfamiliar with Batman mythos should be able to read it too. Thanks for reading, enjoy~

Izuku was surprised when All Might called to meet him at a family restaurant, on a day they were supposed to be on Dogoba Beach for their usual training. He had a suspicion he knew what this sudden meeting was about, but despite Izuku's excitement he decided to stay quiet until All Might brought it up himself. He fidgeted in front of his water as All Might took a sip from his tea.

"I made arrangements for you to leave within the month." All Might, currently in his skeletal form, looked squarely at Izuku from across the table.

"LEAVE-! _THIS MONTH_ -?!" Izuku choked. He knew All Might had wanted to privately sponsor him a semester abroad, and he knew the matter with All For One was serious, but this was… _way_ too early, way too fast… They were talking about uprooting his whole life and starting anew at a foreign country, all before he even got to experience a year at UA, the Hero school of his dreams! Izuku lowered his voice when a waitress came over to pour him more water. As the waitress left, he steadied his voice. "But All Might, All-for-One couldn't possibly find me among the millions in this country this fast and I haven't even-"

All Might didn't let him finish. "Yes, but he has figured out that I've passed on my power to someone. I'm sure he's already started looking."

Izuku clenched his fists on his thighs as he tried to think, trying to remember everything he's experienced till now and what his future goals were. He knew what he was getting into when he accepted One for All, was completely ready to take on the responsibilities that come with it. He just, well, never thought he'd be doing it in America, far away from everything familiar in his life, far from all the people he wanted to protect. "My mom, does she…?" he started.

All Might nodded, probably having already guessed Izuku's thoughts. "I sent a copy of an Acceptance Letter to your house today, and the scholarship papers." He put down his tea as he spoke, "The school is extremely prestigious, even among Americans. One of the oldest academies in the city you'll be living at. The city itself is not the absolute best, but I'm sure you'll make good friends you can trust to help." All Might lowered his voice before he continued, "More importantly, it'll cover your tracks better."

Izuku saw his sullen expression reflected in the glass of water he gingerly held. He looked up at All Might, determined to ask him one last thing before he can feel at peace with his situation. "If I'm not here, will my friends and family be safe from All for One too?"

All Might smiled. "I will personally make sure your mother and the Bakugous never come in harm's way. She might even decide to move abroad to live with your father."

Izuku nodded without looking up. "Mom has lots of friends here, I don't think she'll want to leave," he said fondly. Even as he thought of this, he steeled his heart to prepare himself. He trusted All Might to protect his loved ones more than he trusted himself, and it's not like he had that many friends here to miss to begin with. He'd miss his first day at the prestigious high-school him and Kacchan had gotten into, but suddenly he was more concerned with what he'd do once Kacchan found out about…this. All Might had also spent most of his youth in America to keep him away from harm's way till he could finish his education and had trained enough to be a powerful hero who can protect others, and Izuku was being sent away for the same reason. Now that he thinks about it, he should actually be extremely excited that he gets to see firsthand what inspired All Might's american aesthetics, and he really hopes he can come back to Japan once he finishes his training out of All For One's reach and gosh he needs to brush up on his English before he-

"Young Midoriya," All Might cleared his throat, jolting Izuku out of his muttering spiral. "Be careful with your quirk till then, and even after you're there. The city has a high crime rate, but I have acquaintances who will….hopefully…keep an eye out for you." That ' _hopefully_ ' didn't sound too hopeful, Izuku thought.

"Don't worry All Might," Izuku assured, looking over online information on the city he'll be living at in a month, "A higher crime rate means they could probably use my help." He tried spelling out the english letters instead of relying on the kanji. "Gotham Academy," he read out, unsure of his pronunciation. "It definitely looks…different…from UA." Izuku examined it further. "Um…to be honest, it looks like a haunted mansion from an old vampire movie…"

All Might laughed heartily. He knew he was asking a lot from the young boy in front of him, but he was touched at how hard Midoriya was working to follow All Might's instructions no matter how difficult it got. He knew Midoriya wanted to become a hero who could protect everyone, and is, in All Might's opinion, of the exact mindset All Might wanted the 9th Holder of One for All to have, as kind and helpful as each of his predecessors. If anything happened to him while he was just starting out, then…All Might could never live with himself. This was exactly why Midoriya was being ripped from his life in Japan to go prepare thousands of miles away in the first place. America has some of the largest number of operating Heroes in the world. Izuku would learn well. He reached out to point at the english text Midoriya was reading. "My boy, your english pronunciation could use some work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Any critique on the writing? Any Batman fans?


	2. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Bakugo Katsuki! I'm so fond of both him and Izuku and their whole...'thing' lmao sorry please enjoy

"It's for the best, my boy."

The two stood in front of a waiting car. All Might put a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder, who tried to muster a determined expression to show that he's all right.

"Are you sure you don't want a car to drop you home?" All Might asked, but Izuku shook his head with a smile. "Thank you, but I could use the walk back home to think on everything a bit." His mentor nodded in understanding. With that, the tall skeletal man got into the car and waved Izuku goodbye. Izuku bowed as the car sped off, staying in that position silently till the car disappeared from his line of view, after which he exhaled loudly.

After All Might had left, Izuku let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. He decided that his walk home would be the last time he'd let himself be upset over this or doubt All Might's judgement. This was necessary, Izuku reasoned, in order to keep everyone else safe from the risks that came from being related to an inheritor of One for All. It was also so Izuku can survive long enough to become an official hero.

He imagined All Might's fearless smile in the face of mortal danger, and the hope it carried for millions of people. And how badly he wanted to be a similar beacon of hope to anyone in need. Letting his heart fill with determination, Izuku yelled out "It’s for the best!" to no one in particular, hiked his backpack straps up his shoulders, and started making his way home.

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

Head full of thought, Izuku had been muttering to himself all the way from the restaurant. As he neared an old playground near his neighbourhood he muttered quietly about his current concern- Kacchan and what he would do if he knew Izuku would'nt attend UA with him like Izuku said (more like yelled). Bakugo hadn't picked on Izuku at all since the slime-villain incident, nor had he spoken a word to him. All in all, it seemed Kacchan was no longer disgusted of the concept of Izuku attending the same hero school as him. That was a frustrating thought right now; He could'nt even go to UA anymore!

"Aaahh- and just when he stopped bothering me too!" the curly haired teen huffed .

And as if conjured up by Izuku's words, he spotted Bakugo lazing off on top of a jungle gym, eyes snapping open to glare at him.

"Kacchan?!"

Izuku gulped. He was so engrossed in thought that he hadn't noticed his surroundings at all. He waited for Bakugo to approached him as Izuku stared back as confidently as he could, only for Bakugo to stay exactly where he was and only glare harder.

Of course Kacchan would'nt stoop so low as to _walk_ to Izuku, he'd let his prey walk up _to_ him.

 _Im not the same Izuku who used to be scared of Kacchan! I can do this._ He steeled himself and walked forward, which prompted Bakugo to jump off the jungle gym. The blond put his hands in his baggy jeans, staring Izuku down as he approached.

"Deku," Bakugo growled. Yes, _growled_ , like a scary dog. _Kacchan, at least act like a human!_ Izuku thought. _You won't make any friends at UA at this rate._

"Hi Kacchan," Izuku answered back.

 _Aaaand_ that seemed to be the end of their weekly interaction as Bakugo turned to walk away. As much as Izuku was supposed to be glad he could get away without a scratch, his heart ached for some reason, and he could'nt help but call out after his childhood friend.

"Kacchan wait!" Izuku ran to catch up to Bakugo and they fell into pace, with Izuku purposefully walking a few steps behind. Bakugo didn't answer Izuku, but he didn't tell say _"Fuck off Deku!"_ either, so Izuku figured he was safe. "So, are you excited for UA?" Izuku tried.

Bakugo did not turn as he answered, "You better pray we don't end up in the same class or there'll be hell to pay."

Izuku smiled sadly at the ground. "Neither of us have to worry about that anymore," he muttered quietly. "Heh?!" Bakugo whipped his head around so fast it made Izuku shriek. "Nothing nevermind! I'll stay out of your way!!" Izuku started walking further behind, unable to bring the topic up. In fact, should he bring it up anyway? _Would Kacchan even care if they never see each other again, for possibly the next 5-10 years?_

Bakugo could hear Deku shuffling behind him, mumbling nonsense half-words. He had caught the last thing he'd said _"Neither of us have to worry about that anymore"_ , like some cryptic suicide note. Fuck, the loser isn't planning on offing himself, is he? Extremely unlikely since he risked getting offed by Bakugo himself when he showed up at the UA entrance exams. Heck, he was even getting physically fitter, from what Bakugo could tell from under those ugly mismatched clothes. _Then what the hell did that-?_

"Say, Kacchan," a meek voice shook Bakugo out of his thoughts. "The hell do you want now?" Bakugo answered without turning.

"Would it have made you happy if I could'nt go to UA at all?" This made Bakugo pause mid stride. "I-I mean hyppothetically ," Deku scrambled with his words, "If I never passed the entrance exam or decided to study s-somewhere else or-"

By now Bakugo had turned around and was glaring Izuku down as Izuku stopped talking alltogether.

" _Don't you DARE-_ ," he grabbed Izuku's collar as his green eyes went wide, " _-run away-_ ," he yanked at the collar, making Deku yelp, " _-before I beat you fair and square and PROVE why you don't deserve to walk the same halls as me."_ The short punk had actually gotten surprisingly heavier from the last time Bakugo had picked him up by his collar, so he shoved Izuku away from him. Bakugo turned to walk away again, "Got it?!"

And against all odds, Deku, that damned weirdo, replied enthusiastically, "I'm done running away from you, Kacchan! Just wait, I'll catch up one day!" _What the-?_ It's like Bakugo's clear threats translated into something completely different in Deku's head. Whatever.

He didn't turn to look at what face Deku was making as he said that, and when he walked away he didn’t hear Deku's footsteps behind him.

By the time Bakugo was home, it was already late evening, and both his parents were already home. "You brat, coming home this late and not even answering my calls!" his mom threw a couch pillow at him, which he caught on reflex. "Leave me alone old hag!" he yelled back as he made his way to his room.

"Wash your damn hands before you come down," she called, "Midoriya-san brought around sweets this morning, I left them in the kitchen."

At this, Bakugo popped his head out his door. "Why?"

"Izuku-kun heard back from some foreign scholarship he applied to," his mom called back.

When Bakugo made a loud noise from upstairs, Mitsuki Bakugo only sighed "Why can't you keep in contact with the few friends you have, you brat! Then you wouldn't have to hear these things from me!"

"That fucking Deku is NOT my friend!"

"Katsuki, _language_!"


	3. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love it when I get chances to use my otherwise useless fandom knowledge.

After an end to his stressful outing, Izuku finally hoped to get some rest.

"Mom, I'm home-"

"IZUUUUKUUUUU!!!!"

_Or not._

Izuku's tearful mom flailed into his line of sight, one hand gripping a wad of tissues and the other holding an envelope. _The letter!_ Izuku recalled. All Might said he'd sent a letter and some papers while Izuku was still out.

"S-scholarship…! _Outside the country_ \- my little Izukuuu!" His mom fawned over him, which embarrassed him a little, but he was honestly just glad she didn't ask any questions whatsoever. Guess when your quirkless son suddenly manifests a quirk in his teen years, you stop being surprised about unexpected offers from foreign schools.

"Come to think of it, I didn't even know you applied to something like this…"

"M-mom!" Izuku jumped up, "The Acceptance Letter; you can’t read english that well yet, right? I'll read it for you!"

Inko Midoriya was about to mention that she had already read the japanese copy, but seeing her son nervous from the excitement made her sit down and smile expectantly.

"Well, all right then, give me your best english voice!"

Izuku pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of the envelope, embossed with a thick black _" **W** "_ logo on the back.

Come to think of it, Izuku hadn't heard any specific details of his arrangement at all; who was even funding all this? All Might didn't really mention anything than the bare minimum. Maybe All Might just arranged for school fees and the ticket, and Izuku was supposed to pay for everything else out of his own pockets? Would his parents even be able to afford that? Was he supposed to get a part-time job once he was there? But that might interfere with his schoolwork and training. What if the "scholarship" didn't even cover boarding fees? He hoped All Might will contact him very soon with more details but maybe Izuku was just suppose to follow instructions from the school letters? What if-

"Dear, are you all right?"

"Huh? Ah yeah Mom, here I go."

Izuku cleared his throat and began, as if reciting from a book.

**_"_ Dear Mister Izuku Midoriya,**

**I am delighted to inform you that you have been awarded a full Wayne Foundation**

**Scholarship to the Gotham Academy. This will include TUITION and all EXPENSES.**

**Each year the Wayne Foundation selects a single student, who they choose with**

**great care, taking into consideration both the candidate's academic achievements as**

**well as the individual's character and extracurricular strengths.**

**Naturally, the final decision to attend remains yours, but we hope that you will**

**choose to join us at Gotham Academy."**

Inko Midoriya clapped lightly. "Your english is so much better than before!"

"Thanks Mom," Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

To be honest, he had winced while reading that last part- _'the final decision to attend remains yours'_ , because it was so obviously _not_ his, but he guessed it wasn't really up for debate anymore now that his mom was this excited about it.

She started having doubts about hero school when Izuku had returned from UA's practical exams with wounds and scratches all over his body (and a broken arm and leg which Recovery Girl had healed with her quirk; His mom definitely doesn't need to know about that). He figures his mom is expecting it to be a regular school where Izuku would just get a regular education, but he'd still be training to be a hero. He doesn't know if his mom should know that he's not intending to give up on his dream.

"Hey mom, you know I still want to be a hero, right?"

"Hmm? Well, the option is certainly open even if you study at a regular school, as long as you apply for a license, but I suppose it is more difficult that way…"

"Say, Izuku," his mom looked up at him, "You'll take this rare opportunity, won't you? I know going to UA had always been your dream and you passed the UA extrance exams too, but being able to go abroad, all expenses paid, is just…" his mom trailed off, gently reaching for Izuku's hand and giving it a squeeze. Izuku was extremely thankful for it.

"But if I leave, you'd be all alone…" Izuku returned the squeeze.

"Don't you dare decide on my behalf! I have more than enough people here to keep me company, so you just worry about yourself." She held his hands reassuringly.

"Whatever you want to make of your life, son, know that I'll support you through it all."

"Mom!" Izuku started to tear up. He hastily rubbed his eyes and looked up again, trying to look more confident. How could he not follow through when he was getting this much encouragement? His mom was right, it _was_ an amazing opportunity. Maybe not worth missing out on UA over, but he was more hopeful about it than ever.

"I'm going abroad mom!" he announced, voice wobbly.

The green haired woman smiled warmly as she got up from her chair. "I'll make your favorite dishes tonight!"

Izuku could only smile back, beaming.

"It is such a shame though, I'm sure Katsuki-kun will miss you a lot. You've been in the same schools all your lives after all."

"Nah, we're not even close anymore. I'm glad you're still so close to Bakugo-san though." Izuku got up too so he could wash and change into his house clothes. His clothes had gotten sweaty from his long day out.

The short woman started the stove as she talked. "Oh, I don't know about that. I met Mitsuki today and even she agreed her son wouldn't be glad to hear you wouldn't be going to UA with him. She'd hoped you’d stick around her son his whole life."

At that, Izuku froze in his tracks. "W-wait," Izuku whipped his head around, "Kacchan knows?!"

Inko only cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean? Did you plan on not telling him?"

"Ofcourse I was! I was just, um, planning on doing it myself…at some point maybe? Probably the night my flight was due?"

"Izuku!"

"ANyway, call me down when dinner's ready!" he called back while already running up to his room.

 _Kacchan knows!_ Before this, Izuku was hoping on brushing up on some general knowledge about american heroes and the city he'd be living at, but now he doubted if he could even concentrate with the looming threat of an angry Kacchan hanging over his head the next time he left the house.

Sighing, he took out his Hero Analysis notebook to go over Bakugo's page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Critic and comments fuel me, so please feel free to leave some~ It's great encouragement to know someone's reading.


	4. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that if Deku never went to UA he'd never meet his best friends unless those two also somehow ended up in the U S and A, so this chapter exists-

Izuku hadn't meant to stay up all all night, but he accidentally spent his whole night scouring the internet site after site to make notes on some foreign heroes, as well as brushing up a bit on Kacchan's anylasis page _(just in case)_. He didn't even feel as bad about not going to UA anymore, and he especially couldn't wait to see some of those heroes in real life (and make even more detailed notes!). He was seriously considering taking all 13 of his Hero Analysis notebooks with him abroad, even if it meant he'd have to leave more clothes behind.

 _Oh no!_ Izuku yelled internally. His room full of All Might merch! He couldn't possibly take every one of them with him, which meant he'd have to _choose_. He couldn't possibly pick a favourite! Not too mention all the america-exclusive All Might merch he'll definitely be buying once he gets there. Hmm, maybe he should get a part-time job after all…

"I am here! I am here! I am here!"

The muffled sound of his ringtone made Izuku open an eyelid reluctantly, only to shoot right off his desk when sunlight poured in. _Training!_ He didn't get a wink of sleep on his bed last night but that was besides the point. He had to get ready and take a shower and finish breakfast and run down to the beach before-

"I am here! I am here!"

He found his phone buried in a pile of paper he'd been working with last night. It glowed with a text alert.

"Young Midoriya, sorry for the disturbance this early in the morning. I just wanted to let you know I can't make it to training at our usual time this morning, so you are free to take a rest. Please meet at this location at 3pm sharp:"

Izuku sunk into his chair with an audible sigh of relief.

\-- -- -- -- --

Not wanting to waste the entire day, he exercised a bit in his room (after a few hours of sleep of course) and decided to head out to get some shopping done before meeting up with All Might. _I hope I don't run into Kacchan_ , he thought to himself.

Izuku must have been extremely lucky that day, he thought, because not only did he barely just avoid Kachhan, he also ran into that nice girl from UA's entrance exam! Coincidentally the same way as the first time they met, when she saved him from falling face-first into the floor.

"It's you! The plain guy from the practical exam!"

"….!"

"I never thanked you properly for saving me that day! That punch you threw was amazing!! It was like- POW! WAM!"

"!!..n-no, you saved me from t-that crash landing too..!"

"And we never introduced ourselves, did we? I'm Uraraka Ochako. You must be…Midoriya Deku-kun!"

"D-deku?!" Izuku blanched.

"Yeah! That guy we saw just earlier said "Deku you bastard, I just saw you! Where the heck did he go?"" Uraraka did her best 'delinquent' voice as she imitated Kacchan, which was really cute if you forgot that _she was imitating Kacchan_.

"That n-name, Deku, only Kacchan calls me that..."

"Ohoho, a special childhood nickname?"

"It kind of means 'useless'…"

"I see," a new voice rang out. "It's a derogatory pet-name then." It was followed with a fixing of glasses as a tall, bespectacled boy who had just appeared nodded to himself.

"Your performance at the practical exam was, by far, incredibly well calculated. Far better than myself, I must admit. Even I did not know that the 0 point robot carried hidden hero-points." The boy launched into a longer analysis before Izuku could contain it.

"I didn't really know that during the exam either…" Izuku muttered, getting a bit overwhelmed.

"Really? Despite your appearances, you are quite courageous, Midoriya-kun."

Ochako jumped into the conversation. "Right? He was so cool- Just blew that robot outta the sky!"

"I am Iida Tenya by the way," the tall boy shot his arm out to shake hands with both of them.

"Iida…I wonder," Izuku said aloud, "From the famous hero family Iida?"

"I see our reputation precedes me. Ingenium happens to be my older brother," Iida said, as excited about it as Izuku.

"THE Ingenuim?!" Uraraka blanched, "You must be rich!"

"Why, yes, I suppose my family is comparatively wealthier than the average household…"

"Deku-kun did you hear that? Iida-kun is a young master, a bocchan!"

When Izuku winced at Uraraka yelling 'Deku' into his ear, she backed away quickly.

"Sorry sorry, I forgot!" Uraraka fumbled, "But honestly, "Deku" kinda sound like 'You can do it!' Like a cute shortening of that phrase, doesn't it?"

"D-Deku it is!" Izuku squeaked out, face red.

"Have some honour Midoriya-kun!" Iida chopped his arms to emphasise. 

Izuku had unknowingly gotten tangled into a conversation with the two, and while he was enjoying himself a lot (they were both so nice to him), they were both under the assumption that the three of them would be meeting again at UA.

"I really hope we get put in the same class." Uraraka skipped as they walked.

"I hope so as well." Iida smiled. "It was quite enjoyable speaking to you both, but I must take my leave. I was here with my mother and she must be done shopping by now."

"Yeah, this was really fun." Izuku smiled contently. It was almost 3pm, and Izuku had his own appointment to get to, so he decided to take his leave too.

"Deku-kun, Iida-kun, let's exchange contacts before we go." Uraraka said cheerfully.

After exchanging contacts and saying their good-byes, Izuku stared down at his phone screen.

 _A girl gave me her phone number!_ Izuku rejoiced inside his head. _And I made two friends!_

_All Might, I know my responsibilities, but just this once! Forgive me for being a little late, but I'm so happy for just being able to spend time with them, even if I can't meet them again before the next 5 years. Im sure they'll both be excellent heroes by then, and so will I.  
_

He assumed All Might had called him to go over some more details about his travel and living situation for next month, on top of that Izuku had thought of a lot of things he'd wanted to ask the man about his time abroad too.

All Might texted him right then too, signalling that he had already arrived, surprisingly for the first time before Izuku. Izuku hiked his backpack up his shoulders with renewed excitement; no matter how many times Izuku met him (which was almost every week that year), he was always excited to be in his favorite Hero's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bocchan is a shortened (often affectionate) term meaning the younger master of a prestigious household. Uraraka literally uses this term in the anime when she finds out Iida's rich xD
> 
> UGHH I'm so frustated that its taking me this long to reach the plot of the story (which is Izuku going abroad), but fear not! Deku's finally going in the next chapter! (hopefully)  
> Comments and critic are welcome!


	5. Polaris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprisingly proud of this chapter, because this particular hot-head is hard to write.

"Whoa, an alien hero with multiple quirks," Izuku muttered aloud, browsing through an english news site. "His suit is as colourful as All Might's!"

He was currently at his desk going over the information All Might and him went over that day at the restaurant, while also indulging Izuku's separate hobby, Hero Research ( _It's not stalking; it's Research Kacchan!_ ) as he took brief notes.

Izuku finally flipped his notes closed and stretched.

Basically, his entire stay abroad AND all of his tuition was funded by a single 'foundation', just as his scholarship letter said. All Might wasn't involved financially, but he was on very good terms with the man the foundation was named after ( _"He's a charming fellow"_ All Might had said, _"Always involved with Hero aid and peace missions."_ ). The man was also funded another Hero's entire team. Izuku was devastated when he found out the internet knew as little about the hero as he did; as if every forum discussion gets deleted before he could dig more…

The green-haired boy was spinning in his swivel chair when his mother called for him.

"Izuku, come down sweetie!"

"Are you done with those parent permission forms?" he grabbed his phone before making his way downstairs.

"And mom, did Toshinori-san call about-"

"There you are!" his mom seemed happy. "Look who dropped by."

Still focused on his mom, Izuku turned his head to the direction she was turned towards.

His shoulders tensed on reflex.

"H-hey Kacchan."

Bakugo did not answer him. He politely ( _?!_ ) declined when Izuku's mother offered him a seat.

"No thanks Auntie Midoriya, I'm just here for Deku." His red eyes locked Izuku on the spot.

"Oh, but it's been so long since you visited! You sure you won't stay for dinner?"

"Mom already made dinner; might beat me up if I ate somewhere else."

Izuku's mother laughed as Bakugo, eyes still on Deku, jerked his head towards the door.

"Mom, I'll be back in…an hour?" he glanced uncertainly at the blond who still hadn't spoken a single word to him.

"Alright. Katsuki-kun, drop by again."

Bakugo nodded in response as he turned to leave, leaving Izuku compelled to follow.

  


\-- -- -- --

  


"Kacchan…" Izuku was getting nervous about now.

"How far are we going?" he fidgeted, having been silently looking at Bakugo's back for ten minutes now. He was worried two teens roaming the neighbourhood at night might seem suspicious. "Its really late…"

Frustratingly, the usually-explosive boy neither turned nor answered, continuing to walk.

Izuku looked at Bakugo's back again as he walked on. The blond wore baggy sweatpants and a black tank-top, exposing his muscular hunched shoulders. He could also see the nape of his pale neck, the neckline reaching a beginning of a curve on his back. Izuku absently wondered if Kacchan felt cold when the wind blew past.

"Hey," he called out again, more sternly this time. Bakugo finally stopped walking.

"… Dogoba Beach…" Izuku looked around. He had spent months cleaning and training at here with All Might. He gazed up the tower of junk he had piled.

"I saw you training here once the beach cleared up." Bakugo suddenly spoke up. By now Izuku lost all nervousness, almost knowing what was coming. "I also heard about the practical exams."

Izuku steeled himself for what had inevitably come, staring Bakugo down as the blond did the same.

"You've been holding out on me, Deku?"

Bakugo's mouth split into a menacing snarl that made Izuku take a step back.

"Must have been fun, huh? Hiding that flashy quirk of yours! Being a useless wimp was all just an act, right?" Bakugo growled, prompting Izuku to quickly speak up.

"You're wrong! I never had a quirk when we were young, it manifested when-"

"SHUT IT AND LISTEN!"

Izuku paused reluctantly.

"I wasn't good enough to witness your mighty quirk, but UA and those fancy foreign schools were?"

"Kacchan I swear-"

"You've been punkin' me this whole time!" he barked out. The expression on his face was somewhere between anger and amusement. "Even if you did get yours later than everyone else, you hid it so you could quietly get past me! Was it fun tricking me?"

His hands started crackling with the beginnings of a spark as Izuku braced himself.

Instantly, Bakugo zoomed in using his explosions to propel himself forward. As the smaller boy predicted, Bakugo started off with a fierce right-hook which he dodged by swinging to the left, leaving the blond to blast at the sand.

The huffing blond whipped his head back with a manic grin. "That's what you're good at, running away!" He put both hands on the sand to shoot himself towards Izuku while the smaller boy took a defense stance, willing his heart to stop squeezing painfully. "I'm done running away from you!" he declared with a shaky voice.

Bakugo shot forward, hands thrown backwards to propel himself at the green-haired boy. Izuku didn't want to let Bakugo reorient his explosion hands at him so he took the chance to charge forwards, body slamming Bakugo hard enough that they both flew to the side, hitting the tall pile of junk. Some scraps trickled down.

Bakugo cursed as he struggled to get up. "Why won't you use your quirk? You mocking me?!"

Izuku sensed Bakugo would try to pin him under right then, so he twisted his body as hard as he could to roll away before the blond could trap him in with his body weight.

Bakugo smirked as Deku quickly put distance between them, heart pounding in his ear.

"A worthless quirkless wonder like you…suddenly gaining a quirk, getting into UA, getting offers from abroad and fully paid scholarships out of nowhere," Bakugo took a heavy step forward, making Izuku reflexively step back. "Who do you have wrapped around your finger?"

"Kacchan…I earned this!!" His voice wobbled, but he didn't stutter. "I'm going to train even harder, I'm going to meet Batman and Superman and every hero I can possibly find, I'm going to learn all I can from them, and I'm gonna become a hero no matter what!"

 _Did Kacchan think Izuku didn't think about this every second since he got his quirk?_ he thought angrily. Izuku was terrified that everything that had happened till now was pure luck, and one day it'd run out, and everyone would find out he was the wrong person to put all their hopes on. That they'd find out that Izuku was just an over excited, over impulsive teenager who was not at all ready to bear the responsibility of One For All, and All Might would want his quirk back to give to someone worthier. Or worse, Izuku would realize the futility of his dreams by himself and have to choose someone to pass his quirk on to.

But All Might had reassured him. They didn't just give him this opportunity out of favoritism. They checked his near perfect school grades, considered his quirk and his situation with All For One. They considered his attitude, his priorities and his readiness to put it all on the line for the greater good, to save people with a smile. Izuku knew he deserved this quirk and this opportunity, but Bakugo's tone had made his heart waver for a second.

"Look at you!" Bakugo barked out a laugh, "You're scared out of your mind, but you're still standing up me!" His hands fizzled alight as he shot towards Izuku, "IT PISSES ME OFF!!"

It seemed impossible to dodge Bakugo at that moment. _He's not giving me any time to think! I have to use it!_ In the few seconds Bakugo took to reach him, Izuku haphazardly aimed his finger at the ground, channeling the burst of strength to his finger tip.

The sand at his feet exploded just as Bakugo's smoking fist could make impact, the force throwing them at opposite directions. Izuku was catapulted towards the water as Bakugo hit the piled tower a second time, making it wobble.

The hit seemed to have hurt Bakugo this time since he winced as he got up, while Izuku had a swollen finger and singed clothes. _How am I gonna explain this to mom?_

"Ignoring me?" Bakugo stood up, shoulders heaving. He jut out one palm forward and made a circle with his other hand, placing one in front of the other.

"I haven't even practiced this yet, but I'll honour you with being the first loser who gets to see it."

"I'm not your punching bag!" Izuku yelled as he struggled up, splashing the water. "Please stop this Kacchan, someone might see us using quirks in public!"

"They'll see ME using MY quirk, you're too full of yourself to even use yours." Bakugo glanced at Izuku's swollen finger.

"And," Bakugo squared his shoulders as he took aim, "Fucking Deku should know as well as I do that no one comes here at this late. Why else would you train here at night?"

Izuku's eyes widened. Had Kacchan seen him coming here to train his quirk? Did he know he's the one who was cleaning the beach with his quirk? He couldn't have. But he stopped training here at night after the beach cleared since couples started coming here a lot, and they might see him with All Might. Whether Kacchan knew that or not-

"STOP. MUTTERING!" Bakugo yelled. "AP SHOT!"

"Kacchan!" Izuku screamed, looking above Bakugo.

The huge pile of trash that Izuku had stacked into a tower had finally become unstable. Its tall shadow loomed over Bakugo, the structure beginning to come apart with a quiet rumble. Bakugo forgot his attack- whipped his head to where Izuku looked up in horror. He barely had seconds before the top of the pile craned and started to plummet down.

In the few seconds he could register, Bakugo put his right arm palm up, the other hand gripping his wrist. He had no idea if his explosions on their own without any special equipment would be able to blow away the plummeting tower of metal, but it was too late to move out of the way.

Could Kacchan have managed to blow the plummeting barrage of refridgerators and washing machines with the force of his explosions? Izuku didn't know, but he definitely didn't want to stand and find out.

Before Izuku could think, green lightning crackled throughout his body as his legs prickled with barely contained power. Energy rippled through his legs as he crouched and shot at Bakugo, instantly covering the distance. Wrapping his arms around the blond's waist, he shoved himself and the larger boy out of the way just as a washing machine crashed on the spot where Bakugo stood a second ago.

Izuku's impact had made the two hurtle away from where the pile fell, crashing into the sand in a bundle as he smaller boy gripped at Bakugo's back, face buried in his torso as they breathed heavily, trying to pull air into their lungs.

"Kacchan!" Izuku sobbed as he pulled himself up. "Are you hurt?! Can you breath?"

"Get the fuck off me!" Bakugo shoved the smaller boy to the ground, pinning him as he roared in frustration. "Why? Why does it always have to be you?!" the blond pushed Izuku into the sand by his shoulders. "Didn't I tell you I didn't need your damn help?!"

Izuku looked up at the blond, fear slowly disappearing as his adrenaline wore off. Now he felt sad; he didn't know what to say to his childhood friend to make him stop wearing that pained expression.

Bakugo finally let go and collapsed next to Izuku, back digging into the sand as he put an arm over his face. "Why is it a quirkless nobody like you who gets to look down on me?" he said slightly quieter this time, voice gravelly.

"I've never looked down you," Izuku sat up, fists digging into the sand. "I've looked up to you since we met, Kacchan. And even now." He looked at the blond who had removed the arm from his face and was now glaring at him. Izuku continued, "That's why I want to stand on the same level as you, and one day surpass you."

Bakugo did not speak, only looking at the sky with an annoyed expression and dark circles under his eyes, It made Izuku feel the need to explain himself till the blond understood all his feelings- that he had never meant for Kacchan to think he was making fun of him, or tricking him to get an edge on him, and that he had been looking up to him and still looks up to him, and clear up whatever misunderstandings he had had about their relationship since the dawn of time.

"I can't say much. But you should know this, at least..!"

Bakugo turned his head to look at Izuku, eyes sharp with attention. Izuku's heart pounded; this was something even his mom wasn't allowed to know.

"I borrowed this quirk from someone else."

"I can't say from who but…aaahh this conversation feels like its straight out of a manga..."

Bakugo looked on as Izuku stuttered through his confession.

"On top of that, I can't even use it right yet, so this borrowed power is still pretty useless to me…"

"That's why…I wanted to beat you without it, but I couldn't! I had to rely on it! I've got a long way to go, so…that's why…"

By this time Bakugo was getting annoyed again, and couldn't make out what Izuku meant. _Borrowed power?_

"I'm going to make it my own someday." The smaller boy looked serious, and looked at Bakugo with a confidence he's never seen in weak, useless Deku before. "It's because you're so amazing, that I want to overcome you with my own power. "

Bakugo sat up with a snap, locking Izuku with an incredulous stare.

The expression made Izuku snap out of his trance and scramble a few inches away. _I was just going to tell him I hadn't been tricking him, but…_

"What the hell…" Bakugo put a hand to his face, running a hand through his hair. "You're gonna keep making fun of me…?"

"I mean, what the hell! I couldn't win against you today, and as if that weren't enough…"

Bakugo was facing towards him now, hands fisting through the sand at his side, shoulders shaking slightly.

"You had to play at being hero again! Didn't I say I didn't need your help? I could have handled it!"  


Did he mean the falling debri just now? Did that even count as saving someone?  


He finally stood up, prompting Izuku to stand up too. "Everyone else on the UA roster…That icy bastard! No way I can measure up to him either…!"

"Icy bastard?" Izuku asked. Did Kacchan mean one of his UA classmates? Izuku didn't remember anyone with an ice quirk from their exams…

"Dammit! Dammit!!"

Bakugo kicked at the sand as he muttered curses, turning towards Deku to declare something once and for all.

"From now on..! You hear me? From now on, I'm gonna train even harder! I'm gonna beat all of you!"

"So watch out! Next time we face off, whether it's tomorrow or years later… I'll beat you!"

Izuku, at a loss for what to say, nodded heavily in acknowledgement.

"I won't forget it! So wait please for me. Wait till I can come back, and we'll settle this."

As Bakugo calmed down after the outburst, Izuku thought it was a good opportunity as any to say goodbye properly.

"You know Kacchan, I really wanted to go to UA with you, Uraraka-san and Iida-kun, study under All Might and meet my classmates who would all be potential heroes one day." Izuku had thought he had gotten over that by now, but apparently not, and now he was about to pour his heart out to his childhood friend who was out to beat him up.

"I have to leave for reasons I can't really tell you right now, and it's really tough for me, but I don't really have a choice, but I'm sure I'll learn a lot from the heroes I'll meet there, though I'm not really going to a hero school either," the more he spoke, the more emotional he felt, "But you can still be a licensed hero even if you don't go to hero school, but it's probably tougher that way, and I don't know if I'll have any friends there, not that I had friends here either, but I'll have to speak a whole other language," he started hiccupping a bit, "And I won't be able to see mom, or you, or All Might and Uraraka-san and Iida-kun for god knows how many years-"

"STOP. MUTTERING!"

Izuku yelped.

"Look where I'm pointing." Bakugo stretched out his hand towards the night sky, the clouds obscuring the moon and with it the light.

"Umm," Izuku mumbled, "the stars?"

"Yeah, but which star fuckhead?"

Izuku tried to follow Bakugo's pointed finger to a lone speck, surrounded by other constallations. "Polaris."

"It's the one fixed star in the sky," the blond said, voice gravelly but quiet. "It's in the same place no matter where you are, or what time it is."

Bakugo finally looked at him, clouds moving away letting the moon light to hit his profile. It illuminated his ash blond hair like a halo.

"So fucking look at it to remind yourself. Wherever you are, you'll be in the same distance from Polaris as your mom, me, All Might, or whoever the fuck you think about all the damn time."

"I don’t think about you all the-"

"And," Bakugo interrupted, "You might be looking at it the same time as they are."

With the roar of blood no longer in his ears, Izuku thought he could hear waves lapping against each other. They _were_ at the beach, after all. He was quiet for a second, wondering if Bakugo had just tried to reassure him and stop a potential panic attack. Izuku kind of wanted to thank him but didn't want his angry childhood friend to take it as an insult.

"Wow damn, looks like that junk pile finally fell." Both boys turned around at the sound of someone chatting as they walked up to the beach. _Ah, right_ Izuku remembered. _The reason he didn't want to fight out in the open in the first place.  
_

Bakugo seemed to decide this was as good of a farewell as any and started to walk away, leaving Izuku to chase after him.

"W-wait, Kacchan!"

"WHAT."

"Um." Izuku fidgeted, dusting off his singed t-shirt and looking at the ground.

"Ugh, come on."

Izuku perked up before following Bakugo to his house, walking a good distance behind him.

Once they'd reached his house, the blond ordered him to stand outside his window while he threw down some clothes. _I'm leaving the country and Kacchan STILL won't let me into his room_ , Izuku grimaced.

The blond threw down a black skull tshirt that was a whole size bigger on Izuku, gave him one last glare out his window and slammed down the shutters.

"Thanks Kacchan!" Izuku called out loud enough so Auntie Mitsuki could hear from inside and jogged back to his house.

Izuku was glad enough that his legs were somehow intact after using One For All on them, but his hand was still purple and swollen and had to be hidden behind him so his mother couldn't see. But his mom's attention was clearly on something else.

"My, whose t-shirt is that?" She had a look on her face that said she already knew, but her smile felt...odd?

"Um, it's Kacchan's."

"And what happened to yours?"

Should he say he was wearing it right underneath the baggy skull one? He was having enough trouble hiding his hand behind him.

"Izuku, I was a teenager once too you know," the short woman smiled, hand covering her face.

Did she mean she used to have life-altering death battles on the beach with her childhood friends or was she severely misunderstanding something?

"You know, your father and I had an arranged marriage like most people did back then, but kids these days are so head-strong about-"

"Mom!" Izuku turned crimson. "It's not like that! Where d-did you even-?"

He couldn't finish his sentence without stuttering through it. When his mom's smile widened the more he stuttered, he cradled his swollen hand and ran up to his room in retreat.

At least it's not as bad as it would have been if she knew what he'd been breaking federal quirk laws.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bigger chapter than I'm used to, and I belted it out in only a day so please let me know how it reads!  
> It's been frustrating to focus on writing during uncertain times like *this*, even though I've been wanting to pen this idea down forever. I hope everyone's doing well, see you next week!


End file.
